What was the most powerful submarine ever built by USSR? Akula submarine, by Alex omen – Own work, licensed under CC BY 3.0 Being so far from the continental US, the missiles this sub would carry would also need to be larger than average to accommodate for the extra stages and fuel to reach targets as far south as New Orleans from the frigid north pole. Yet this presented several challenges, as the sub itself would need to be robust enough to break through thick winter ice, and would need extra ballast in order to float the added mass.

Thus plans were laid down to build a sub that could operate under the Arctic Circle- still within range of other Soviet military assets- and break through the ice to deliver its nuclear payload. With the US’s advantages in anti-submarine warfare and more advanced submarine technology, the Soviets decided that it would be best to build a sub that could operate relatively close to home where it could be protected by friendly air and naval power. Getting wind in the early 70s of the United States’ plans to build a new fleet of ballistic missile subs, specifically the Ohio class, Soviet military planners began drawing up their own plans for an even more formidable nuclear missile submarine of their own. Thus, it’s no surprise that both the Soviet Union and the United States invested heavily into their underwater forces. Their ability to cruise the world’s oceans undetected, and- if nuclear-powered- stay submerged for months, makes them the most survivable element of the nuclear triad, almost completely immune to a pre-emptive first strike. As part of the nuclear triad, submarines represent one of three nuclear deterrent forces for a modern nation, the first two being land-based ICBMs and nuclear-capable bombers.

Akula class submarine swiming pool